The Photographic Laboratory

Photography has been an integral part of the Institute's activities
since its move to Gordon Square in 1958.

The first photographer at the Institute was W B Cookson who had worked extensively
on excavations with Mortimer Wheeler at Maiden Castle and other Iron Age
and Roman sites. He was succeeded by his assistant Mrs V Conlan and
then by Mr Peter Dorrell. In his youth Peter was the
photographer on the excavations in Jericho between 1955 and 1958 which
were directed by Dame Kathleen Kenyon. Peter retired in 1993. The
Institute's current photographer, Stuart Laidlaw, has worked here since
1977. He has worked on excavations in Greece, Libya and Belize. He has
also given Archaeological Photography courses in Sri Lanka and Tenerife.

The teaching aspect within the Institute involves undergraduate students
in their first year core course on Introduction to Archaeological Field Methods and Techniques (ARCL1006) and options in their second or third
year on Archaeological Photography (ARCL2035) and Archaeological Illustration and Imaging (ARCL2036). The students cover formats from 5" by 4" down to APS size. The use
of Ultraviolet and Infrared imaging is demonstrated and discussed.
Digital imaging is usually taken with Canon cameras, both compacts and
DSLRs, and are manipulated using Photoshop CS on Apple Mac computers.

The Photographic Lab also provides illustrative material
to Institute staff for use in lectures and for publication.
Staff often bring finds and samples to the Photographic Lab and suggest the
illustration required and so we have extensive experience of getting the
best results from items that may be difficult to photograph.